limelightpeter

[limelightpeter]

A little more about the experience

I think I already said it, but to confirm, I really liked the story.

About the reading process in general, I think it was "easy" to read read. In Google Classroom we had the texts in English and Portuguese, I chose to read in English to keep contact with the language and I found out that the vocabulary was not difficult so the reading was very positive and the point of the story be interesting only contributed to a better reading experience.

I was often trying to analyse some aspects through Franco Jr.'s vision of his work "Operadores de Leitura da Narrativa". As you already know, I'm not that good with getting the references of the story quickly and to help m with that we had the meetings. They were really helpful, we were always showing our ideas and points of view and the help of Felix's paquitas (sorry, I had to use this meme hahaha) was more than great.

I also looked at other people diaries and commented in some of them. I think everyone put effort on the construction of their diaries, using several formats and bringing their considerations.

One thing that I still have to watch is the play (that one who has Marlon Brando of course)  to actually see the elements of lighting, sounds and of course acting working altogether. I'm a visual person so I really think it will allow me to get deeper on the story.

With that said, I thank you all again for all help and for always be helping us throughout this journey. Hope we get more better experiences :)

[limelightpeter]

Some more comments

First of all I want to say that I really enjoyed reading this play. It really makes you think about some aspects and feel some emotions.

One of the things I was always quoting was the light/truth thing. It’s there since the beginning and I think it is a really big element on the narrative because it’s directly related to Blanche. I really liked her since the beginning because she was so enigmatic, she’s a deep character and her construction is very well-done, thumbs up, mr. Willians. There were some moments I felt this way:

...But in the end you end up crawling back to loving her.

As a fan of mythology, I was intrigued with the “afterlife trip” to the Elysian Fields. In the end, unfortunately, Blanche maybe turned left in one of Hades’ highways and ended up on the Punishment Fields because she went through hell in that place. Once I heard that even on the Heaven’s door there is a way straight to Hell, I think that’s exactly what happened to Blanche.

Speaking of hell, let’s move on to the devil. I just wanted to say that the one good thing about Stanley is he being played by Marlon Brando. Felix I love you, allow me to dislike him pleeeease hahaha.

I remembered right now in scene 10 before the rape there is a prostitute and a drunkard outside. I think this could be a reference to Stanley, drunk as hell, using Blanche to saciate his foul lust desires.

Now speaking in general, I now I’m not the better person to do literary analisys, I think I have some difficulty with it, so I’m sorry for not being able to deliver everything you expected, it’s kind of a flaw. I’m just trying to make something valuable, I guess this format didn’t work for me in the Itinerários.

With everything said, I have to say again that this is a really interesting story, don’t ever let it out of Contemporânea. Also clap-clap to Antônio and Clévis for guiding us through this journey, not sure Blanche could but I did get to the Elysian Fields with you. You’re the best, b-tchez <3

[limelightpeter]

Commenting scenes 10 and 11.

First of all I just wanted to say that when I finished these two scenes I ended up just like this:

So, scene 10. Blanche is on the edge of insanity after the discussion with Mitch. Again she is still being dellusional, telling more lies to Stanley about someone who would be taking her from there. It is stil the same feeling we had in scene nine, regarding her phrase:

“I don't want realism. I want magicI [...] I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth.” (p. 117).

She’s still with the idea of what should be the truth, the dream of her getting out of there preserved, being taken by a nice man. Instead of a nice man, she was alone and face to face with Stanley. They had a fight. The author describes a gloomy mood in this part: shadows on the walls and unhuman jungle voices being heard. I guess this setting was prepared to emphasize Stanley’s dark and wild-animal side - it’s still reminds me of a Inccubus -, coming to Blanche and possibly raping her - yeah, I said probably because I don’t want to believe it, I was really attached to Blanche, I tend to do it to characters I like.

Anyway, moving on to scene 11, we talked about Blanche’s “childish size” on the meetings, that’s why she would be attracted to younger lads or why she denies to accept getting old, like a “cradle-robber/cougar syndrome” . You know when a mother fools her child like “we’re going to the park today” but she is actually taking the kid to the dentist? That’s exactly what they did to Blanche in the end, fooling her, not to send her to vacation, but to a mental asylum. Once more the lightbulb is brought to scene, this time - definitely - Stanley rips the paper lantern off, letting the light shine bright, representing Blanche fully exposed. I think Stanley’s assault on her annihilated her last drop of sanity. Give me reasons not to hate him... It melted my heart when she said to the doctor she always depended on the kindness of strangers and she goes out without turning back as the now entirely bonkers but eternal Miss Dubois. As Melanie Martinez once said:

“So what if I'm crazy? The best people are; All the best people are crazy.”

[limelightpeter]

Commenting scenes 7, 8 and 9

In scene 7 Stanley is exposing Blanche’s lies to Stella. Blanche is simultaneously singing in the bathroom:

"It's a Barnum and Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be. But it wouldn't be make-believe If you believed in me".

Barnum and Bailey: circus company/stage

Phony: "Somebody who pretends to be something else. It's like a bad actor." (Definition from Urban Dictionary)

While he’s talking to Stella, Stanley says Blanche was fired from her teacher job because she got involved with a seventeen-year-old boy which takes us back to scene five when she kisses the young lad and says "It would be nice to keep you, but I've got to be good-and keep my hands off children." (p. 84).

Stanley also says he told everything about Blanche to Mitch and I got kind of sad because I was enjoying their relationship. My mind was playing their soundtrack as Lana Del Rey’s “Cruel World”:

Shared my body and my mind with you That's all over now Did what I had to do 'Cause you're so far past me now [...] Everybody knows that I'm the best, I'm crazy Get a little bit of Bourbon in 'ya Get a little bit suburban and go crazy

“Bourbon” and  “go crazy” definitely coming as a foreshadowing to scene 9.

In scene 8 Stanley comes with the "Every man is a king" stuff. For God's sake, I was really trying not to hate him, but as Stella says, he makes a pig of himself. Yeah, I know, he's just a character, it's his nature, it's the age when the story is happening but I just dislike his attitudes. Period. Stanley seems to hate Blanche the most because she offended his man ego, calling him an ape and a common man. Which is not a lie. He is also angry as hell at Stella and suddenly gets concerned when she asks him to take her to the hospital. Quoting Katy Perry: 

"Someone call the doctor, got a case of love bipolar".

Stella is in labor and I just can think the child will be a Virgo, just like auntie Blanche.

Now about scene 9 finally Blanche will be abe to talk to Mitch. "I don't think I ever seen you in the light" Mitch says to Blanche. We're always discussing this game of light and dark on the meetings and that's true, he was never able to see her true self. She doesn't like light or going out in the morning/afternoon, I'm just thinking "girl, are you a vampire or something like that?". In this scene, all the conversation is about Blanche's lies. The polka music is currently playing, but my inner mind was playing Nicki Minaj's “Bed of Lies”:

Do you ever think of me when you lie Lie down in your bed, your bed of lies? And I knew better than to look in your eyes They only pretend you would be mine

Yeah, I know I'm bringing a lot of pop references, but they are fitting in here so I just need to. Sorry :D

[limelightpeter]

Commenting scenes 4, 5 and 6.

Scene 4 is a kind of debate between Blanche and Stella. Blanche still doesn’t comprehend why her sister keeps married with, accordind to herself, a mad man, an animal. Stella seems to be used to her husband’s behavior and apparently likes how he sexually pleases her. Stanley is eavesdropping and hears when Blanche says about a plan of contacting a man of her past. He uses it to king of blackmails her, what leaves her insecure, leading her to ask Stella if she knows any gossip about her, in scene 5.

One of the things that caught my attention on this scene was the conversation about zodiac sings - which I like a lot, by the way. It’s revealed that Stanley is a Capricorn. One of the stereotypes of this sign is that they love money, almost greedy. Stanley is exactly that way, as we can scene in the previous scenes, highlight to the “Napoleonic code”. Blanche says she is a Virgo - just like me, love her so much. One of the characteristics I see in her is that she is a clever person and she’s constantly thinking about the future.

In this scene she also kisses a young guy wich takes us to the revelation on the scene six, that she talks about her decesead husband. They were very young when they married. He was too smooth, too gentle, too soft and she later figured out he was gay and was cheating on her with another man.The climax is that Blanche, her former husband Allan and the man of her man will get drunk in a casino, she tells Allan that he disgusts her and the poor fag kills himself. Reading all this, I was in the “pode jogar as flores, porque eu tô morta” mood. When she was telling this story to Mitch, there was a song playing in the background and I could amoust listen to the pauses, constructing the mood when the story where getting more and more dramatic. So good.

[limelightpeter]

Comments about meeting I

I really loved this first moment and how everyone explored different aspects. In the first moment I was looking directly to the characters but it was very interesting to see the construction of setting analyzed for other classmates. I also loved to figure out properly the explation of Desire-Cemeteries-Elysium because in the first moment I was associating it with the loss of Belle Reve: Desire (as the carnal pleasure/fornication Blanche mentions that some of her ancestors were addicted to), Cemeteries (as all the family deaths Blanche mentions) and Elysian Fields (some type of final rest after all these unfortunate events), crazy huh? Haha. I’m really into this story. It seems to have a lot more to reveal and provide discussions

[limelightpeter]

Commenting scenes 1, 2 and 3.

In these first scenes is possible to know some characters and a little of their behaviour. I don’t know where it’ll go but right now I hate Stanley with all my forces. I’m intrigued with Blanche’s personality, it’s still hard to tell who she is in fact, but for now I guess she’s a protective person when it comes to Stella. She has that “daughter of Aphrodite” flitartious charm when she’s talking to men (in different ways when she talks to Stanley and Mitch). Stella tries to be a strong person confronting her husband in some things but in the same time she’s kinda submissive to him and always come back, even when the situation is delicate. So far I’m liking the story, it’s very interesting. In this first moment I brought a little about the characters but I’m sure more information will come through the class discussions. I’m very curious about the truth of what really happened to Belle Reve. Let’s wait and see.

[limelightpeter]

Welcome!

Hey y’all! I’m Pedro, 5th semester in UNEB’s Letras/Língua Inglesa course.

In this diary I’m gonna share some of my impressions from the discussions and materials in Contemporânea II subject.

p.s.: If you want to comment, you need to be logged - just like blogger and others. On the app you’ll easily see the balloon icon. On the computer, you need to click on the eye symbol on the top right side to open the pannel. Then find the balloon icon and leave your comment :)

OR ask me here: https://limelightpeter.tumblr.com/ask :D

Stay tuned!